Making decoratively covered heels



June 13, 1933.

G. M. SMITH MAKING DECORATIVELY COVERED HEELS Filed Oct. 1'? 1950 ivy-4 IN VENTOR G am/he M 509/772,

Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs GARDNER. E. SMITH, OF CLAYTON, MISSOURI, .ASSIGNOR TO KANTSKUF HEEL CORPO- RATION, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI MAKING DECORATIVELY COVERED HEELS Application filed October 17, 1980. Serial No. 489,290.

This invention has as its primary object the provision of a novel method of making decoratively covered heels, including impressing the cover with a decorative design and applying the cover to the heel. Other objects, advantages, and desirable features of the invention will appear in the course of the followin description of illustrative embodiments 0% the spirit of the invention.

It is quite common to cover the high wooden heels of womens shoes with a covering cut out from elastic sheet celluloid colored and lacquered to resemble the material of the shoe upper. However, the'.smooth, hard, cold, textureless' appearance and feel of the covering forms an undesirable contrast to the soft textured appearance and feel of the leather or fabric that forms the shoe upper. By the present process, there can be produced a celluloid covering which resemles leather or fabric sufficiently closely to in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view of the prepared cover blank as it appears before it is attached to the heel;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section of an uncoated covering as it appears after texture has been imparted thereto;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse section of a covering coated with a layer of pigment or lacquer;

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse section showing the coated covering as it appears after a texture has been imparted thereto by one form of process of this invention; and

Figure 6 is a similar'view showing the coated covering as it appears after a different texture has'been imparted thereto by another form of process of this invention.

The cover blanks 1 are cut or dried-out from a plain sheet of elastic celluloid, preferably about twelve and one-half or fifteen onethousandths of an inch thick,to the usual shape and size to fit the heel and to allow sufficient margin for trimming the'edges after they have been attached to theheel. The celluloid may, if desired, be colored throughout its body or mass so as to resemble as closely as possible the desired color of the finished covering.

The blanks are next softened sufliciently to render them easily embossed and to yield to fit intimately the contour of the heel when applied thereto. Divers methods of temporarily softening the celluloid are known in the art, one method being to use a softening solution. The blanks 1 are preferably immersed in the softening solution for about twenty to thirty minutes and are then impressed while soft with a suitable embossing element or die to impart thereto the imitative texture and appearance 2 viously applied to the heel 5 to securely hold the cover 1 thereon. After being allowed several hours to dry and to recover its original condition of comparative hardness, the attached covering 1 can, if desired, be sprayed with a suitable pigmented lacquer for imparting thereto a finished appearance of the desired color.

,The following formula for a softening solution may be cited. as an example: denatured alcohol No. 5, 2 parts by volume; acetone or ansol, 1 part by volume; water, 1 part by volume; gum camphor, -1 cubic inch to a gallon of solution.

The camphor neutralizes the tendency of the solution to extract the camphorconstituent from celluloid. The alcohol and the acetone each dissolve celluloid.

Lacquer may be applied to the coverin either before or after-softening, if desire However, if the lacquer coat 6 is applied before softening, as shown in Figure 4, a twotone or two-color stipple or fine pebble grain effect may be produced if the lacquer is pigherent color of the sheet of celluloid. This effect is produced by embossing the celluloid 1 while soft to a depth suflicient to pierce through and open the coat of pigment 6 to expose the inherent color of the underlying sheet 1 of celluloid. Otherwise stated, the parts in relief will have the color or tone of the pigment or lacquer, while the parts depressed or in intaglio will present the inherent color or tone of the celluloid, as best shown in Figure 5.

It is also possible to emboss the celluloid without softening it. In this case, however, the impress of the embossing element will be much more shallow and perhaps less permanent than if the material had been softened. The comparative faintness of the imitative texture, however, may be somewhat remedied by spraying lacquer on the side of the celluloid that is to be embossed and allowing it to dry before embossing it, the lacquer accentuating and enhancing the imitative texture. When the embossing is done without softening the celluloid, it Is preferably done on a whole sheet at one time, and

L the blanks are cut out after the embossing has been done. Of course, the embossed blanks are softened sufficiently when they are attached to the heel.

Having thus fully described this invention I hereby reserve the benefit of all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making a decoratively covered heel which method comprises, providing a heel form to be covered, and a cellulosic plastic cover, softening the cover, impressing a decorative design on the cover while said cover is soft, and applying the cover to the heel while still soft. r

2. The method of making a decoratively covered heel which method comprises, providing a heel form to be covered, and a cellulosic plastic cover, softening the cover to a degree sufiicient to render it easily embossed, impressing a decorative design on the cover while said cover is soft, and cementing the cover to the heel while still soft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

GARDNER M. SMITH. 

